Words by

Elías Þórsson

@Eliasthorsson

Photo by

Art Bicnick

Members of the Icelandic football national team’s official supporters’ group Tólfan have expressed disgust over the owner of the company that produces the club’s jerseys having been among those vouching for pedophile Robert Downey in his successful attempt to have his past crimes erased from his record, reports Vísir.

Disgusted

“I want to vomit when I see this Henson logo, it’s going in the trash,” Tólfu member Auðunn Freyr Kristjánsson wrote online.

As part of the Icelandic legal system, convicted criminals who have served out their sentenced can apply to have their honour restored (uppreist æru), which means your past record of transgressions are wiped clean in a civil sense. Recently, Robert Downey, who was in 2007 sentenced to three year imprisonment after having been found guilty of sexually abusing at least four teenage girls had his honour restored, which among other things allows him to resume his career as a lawyer.

The matter has caused great controversy in society, with appeals having been made to authorities for the procedure to be changed. Following the pressure, Justice Minister Sigríður Ásta Andersen announced that she would review the process.

Boycott Henson

Halldór Einarsson is Roberts childhood friend and the owner of Henson, which produces the supporters clubs jerseys. He wrote as part of the application that since getting released Robert had “behaved impeccably both in his private and professional lives.” It is this support which has caused the anger among Tólfan members.

In the trash

“Halldór Einarsson provides, as far as I know, all youth teams in Iceland with sporting gear and I want to implore ALL representatives of sporting associationss in the country to find another supplier than Henson and show that words come with consequences,” Jói B. Bjarnason wrote on Facebook. “I will never again be putting my children in kits made by a man who supports this.”

“What is next? Crossing out the Henson logo or throwing the jersey in the trash? I do care about the jersey,” wrote Auðunn. Fellow member Gunnar Örn Jóhannsson answered Auðunn’s post and said “sorry, I’m never wearing mine again.”